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A Treatise on the Soul

Tertullian

Chapter 42

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter XLII.—Sleep, the Mirror of Death, as Introductory to the Consideration of Death.

It now remains (that we discuss the subject) of

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death

,

in

order

that

our

subject

-

matter

may

terminate

where

the

soul

itself

completes

it

;

although

Epicurus

,

indeed

,

in

his

pretty

widely

known

doctrine

,

has

asserted

that

death

does

not

appertain

to

us

.

That

,

says

he

,

which

is

dissolved

lacks

sensation

;

and

that

which

is

without

sensation

is

nothing

to

us

.

Well

,

but

it

is

not

actually

death

which

suffers

dissolution

and

lacks

sensation

,

but

the

human

person

who

experiences

death

.

Yet

even

he

has

admitted

suffering

to

be

incidental

to

the

being

to

whom

action

belongs

.

Now

,

if

it

is

in

man

to

suffer

death

,

which

dissolves

the

body

and

destroys

the

senses

,

how

absurd

to

say

that

so

great

a

susceptibility

belongs

not

to

man

!

With

much

greater

precision

does

Seneca

say

:

“

After

death

all

comes

to

an

end

,

even

(

death

)

itself

.

”

From

which

position

of

his

it

must

needs

follow

that

death

will

appertain

to

its

own

self

,

since

itself

comes

to

an

end

;

and

much

more

to

man

,

in

the

ending

of

whom

amongst

the

“

all

,

”

itself

also

ends

.

Death

,

(

says

Epicurus

)

belongs

not

to

us

;

then

at

that

rate

,

life

belongs

not

to

us

.

For

certainly

,

if

that

which

causes

our

dissolution

have

no

relation

to

us

,

that

also

which

compacts

and

composes

us

must

be

unconnected

with

us

.

If

the

deprivation

of

our

sensation

be

nothing

to

us

,

neither

can

the

acquisition

of

sensation

have

anything

to

do

with

us

.

The

fact

,

however

,

is

,

he

who

destroys

the

very

soul

,

(

as

Epicurus

does

)

,

cannot

help

destroying

death

also

.

As

for

ourselves

,

indeed

,

(

Christians

as

we

are

)

,

we

must

treat

of

death

just

as

we

should

of

the

posthumous

life

and

of

some

other

province

of

the

soul

,

(

assuming

)

that

we

at

all

events

belong

to

death

,

if

it

does

not

pertain

to

us

.

And

on

the

same

principle

,

even

sleep

,

which

is

the

very

mirror

of

death

,

is

not

alien

from

our

subject

-

matter

.